Keir Starmer’s big Oval Office meeting with President Trump back in February – hailed at the time by much of the Westminster press pack as a modern-day Thatcher-Reagan moment – feels like a distant memory. Despite the fanfare, Trump didn’t exempt the UK from new tariffs. Though Downing Street did try to spin the base rate 10% tariffs on UK exports as a “vindication of our approach.” The public isn’t buying that spin…
YouGov surveyed over 3,800 adults – and only 29% think the reduced tariff rate is thanks to Starmer’s diplomatic efforts. A clear 47% say lower tariffs are ‘not very much’ or ‘not at all’ a result of Starmer’s negotiations. ‘Keir Charmer’ no more…
Meanwhile David Lammy still can’t bring himself to admit that Brexit is probably the reason the UK avoided the 20% tariff hike that hit the EU. In the meantime the PM is waiting by the phone for a call from President Trump…
Tom Baldwin, author of Starmer’s hagiography, spoke to Times Radio:
Tom Baldwin: “I think he’d like to do something. He’s very dutiful and driven by service. That’s why he came into politics. I think that’s characterised his time as prime minister. He hasn’t always sought popularity or been good at being popular. But I think he has some of the necessary qualities that we actually do want in a prime minister. That resilience, that relentlessness, that ability to carry the weight and the job really does weigh very heavily on people and he carries that weight very, very well.”
Jo Coburn: “NATO Secretary-General?”
Tom Baldwin: “I think that’s something that he would be interested in. I think it probably requires Andy Burnham’s government to support him in that and these are some of the questions which Andy Burnham has to resolve quite quickly.”
